Twenty years ago today, Nuggets shocked the world with win over Sonics

On May 7, 1994, the Dikembe Mutombo-led Nuggets became the first No. 8 seed in NBA history to beat a No. 1 seed in the playoffs when they ousted the Seattle SuperSonics in five games. It went down as one of, if not the, greatest moments in Denver basketball history.

The Sonics had entered the playoffs after tallying a franchise-record 63 victories in the regular season, while the Nuggets slipped into the postseason with a meager 42-40 record. In short, no one gave them a chance, especially after Seattle easily took Games 1 and 2 in the series.

But the Denver Nuggets, who were coached by Hall of Famer Dan Issel, came back to win Game 3 by 17 points and then Game 4 by nine points in overtime.

In Game 5, the Nuggets again pushed Seattle to overtime, but with Mutombo clogging the lane and Robert Pack leading the way offensively, Denver edged Seattle, 98-94.

The Nuggets went on to lose to Utah in seven games in the second round, but few will forget their incredible first-round triumph.

Dikembe Mutombo clinching the game ball after the No. 8 Nuggets defeated the No. 1 SuperSonics in the first round of the 1994 NBA playoffs. (Bill Chan, The Associated Press)

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times.